Agnes Scott provides the perfect blend of athletics and academics. We're looking for students who work hard and don't make excuses; students who will be great ambassadors for Agnes Scott. Do you have what it takes to be on our team? GO SCOTTIES!

Agnes Scott Partners With Google

Agnes Scott College Partners with Google for New Applied Computing Series

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Media Contact:Danita V. KnightVice President for Communications and Marketing404.596.2939 (cell)dknight@agnesscott.edu

Decatur, GA, October, 23 2018—Agnes Scott College is excited to announce a new collaboration with Google to offer computer science, data science, and machine learning courses to its undergraduate students. Agnes Scott is one of only four colleges and universities selected nationally to collaborate with Google to pilot all three offerings as part of a new Applied Computing Series. The courses aim to increase undergraduate access to quality data science and machine learning education by leveraging new technologies and teaching styles.

“We are thrilled to partner with Google to provide this programming,” said Mathavi Strasburger, SUMMIT Advisor .“Students have advocated for more opportunities to explore computing at Agnes Scott, and this Google partnership provides an incredible, future-focused pathway for students to not only explore the academic components of computing and programming but to also explore career and professional endeavors in the realm of data science and machine learning.”

The Applied Computing Series teaches computer and data science through hands-on, project-based course content. The series is typically designed to attract students who might not consider a technology career. The most advanced of these offerings, the Applied Machine Learning Intensive, will be a 10-week summer program designed to offer non-Computer Science majors a “crash course” in data engineering and machine learning that they can apply to their majors. All of the courses leverage tools and techniques used at Google and in the wider tech industry while teaching non-tech skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and the ability to communicate and network.

Kerry Pannell, Vice President for Academic Affairs noted the value of the program to the Agnes Scott campus community, "Agnes Scott's collaboration with Google allows us to connect innovative liberal arts curricula and pedagogy to cutting-edge practices in the tech sector. Being at the forefront of change is the best way we serve our students and partners around metro-Atlanta and across the Southeast."

Students participating in the program will:

Develop skills to position them for entry-level positions in the burgeoning machine learning workforce.

Work with Google engineers to learn about the tech industry’s working environments; and be immersed in a project-based curriculum to reinforce computer and data science principles.

The first course, Foundations of Python Programming, is currently being taught as a traditional course on campus this semester by Chris De Pree, Charles A. Dana Professor of Astronomy. “The curriculum, faculty training materials, and support developed by Google have brought new life to our introductory programming sequence,” said De Pree. “I am excited that the college is piloting this curriculum and expanding our offerings in programming to students.” De Pree will teach the second course, How to Think Like a Data Scientist, in spring, 2019. The third course, the Applied Machine Learning Intensive, will be offered next summer as a full-time, immersive 10-week experience for college credit, co-taught by a Google engineer and computer science faculty. The Applied Machine Learning Intensive will be a tuition-free, residential experience for students, funded by Google and hosted by Agnes Scott College.

The selective application process is now open to Agnes Scott College students. To find out more and apply, visit Google For Education.

Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. Students are drawn to Agnes Scott by its excellent academic reputation, exceptional faculty and metropolitan Atlanta location—offering myriad social, cultural and experiential learning opportunities. This highly selective liberal arts college is known for its diverse and dynamic intellectual community. Through SUMMIT, it provides every student, regardless of major, with an individualized course of study and co-curricular experiences that develop leadership abilities and understanding of complex global dynamics.